OPIA

Law school, university, or college teaching generally involves three components: research, classroom instruction, and service. Other levels of teaching generally focus on classroom instruction. At…

Basic Skills and Specialized Knowledge There is no one size or formula that fits all international careers so in selecting your academic program you should…

Just as there is no easy way to define international law, it is just as difficult to define the skills required for an international practitioner…

Some students who are public service-minded spend a summer, or part of a summer, working in the private sector. Others spend a few years after…

Many students enter law school with a passion for a particular issue or set of issues, such as education or civil rights. Others develop a…

Public defenders represent indigent defendants in criminal cases.  Public defender offices exist at the federal, state, and local levels; there are also specialized offices that provide legal…

A prosecutor is the government attorney who charges and tries cases against individuals accused of crimes.  Prosecutors’ offices exist at the federal, state, and local…

Plaintiffs’ firms are private, for-profit law firms that represent individuals and groups seeking to redress injuries, commonly in the fields of workers’ rights, consumer rights,…

A policy is a course of action for tackling a political problem. Policymaking is itself a process; it is conceived by public or private groups…

Obtaining post-law school positions with international NGOs is very complex; more so than landing a job with a domestic nonprofit and dramatically more complicated than…

If possible, obtain a summer job at an NGO. The difficulty for many students is that most international NGOs will not be able to pay.

What issues most engage you? Human Rights? Environment? Democracy Building? Law Reform? Economic Development? Health? Religious Freedom? Women’s Rights? Reproductive Rights? Children’s Rights? Foreign Relations?…

It may require perseverance and an entrepreneurial spirit to break into the career area of your choice. Embarking on a public international career is to…

International Criminal Law Though criminal tribunals fall under the auspices of the UN, the opportunities available to attorneys in these courts are unique compared to…

Nonprofit organizations are nongovernmental groups that specialize in the problems of particular populations or specific sets of issues. Types of advocacy can vary dramatically, depending…

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are typically mission-driven advocacy or service organizations in the nonprofit sector. There are large and small NGOs operating around the world and…

Use of non-legal strategies to advocate for clients or a cause. Can also refer to high-level administration or management duties.

Maame A.F. Ewusi-Mensah, YLS ’01 International Human Rights and Private Practice I knew when I came to law school that international human rights law was…

Chi Mgbako, HLS ’05 International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Office of the Prosecutor The following is an excerpt taken from two letters Ms. Mgbako wrote…

Antonio L. Cortes, YLS ’89 Koror State Government, Republic of Palau Beginning three years after graduating from Yale Law School, I was fortunate to spend…

Julia Harrington, HLS ’95 Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa I decided to go to law school after working for a year in…